Dominick Cruz Following in Georges St-Pierre’s Footsteps Following Knee Surgery

An emotional Dominick Cruz (Pictured) appeared on this week’s edition of FUEL TV’s UFC Tonight to address his second knee operation in five months. While many question whether “The Dominator” will ever be the same following his extended hiatus, Cruz will use the experience and successes of Georges St-Pierre’s ACL surgery as a blueprint for his return to glory.

“I’ve had my couple days of cry-baby time per se,” Cruz admitted after discovering June’s inital knee operation went bad. “I allowed myself to be mad, be sad and be depressed, and you go through the ‘Why me?’ stage. There is no point. Everyone is having a tough stage in life right now, it’s not just me. The economy is in a low state right now. It’s not, ‘Woe is me.’ It’s ‘Woe is everyone’ right now and I have to accept it.

“This is what I have to take to become the best athlete in the world. I am young and I will bounce back 100 percent as GSP did. The problem is I am losing key time, key moments in my life and in the peak of my career.”

Cruz’s second procedure was done just like GSP’s was, where doctors took the patellar tendon from his own knee and placed it where the ACL is supposed to be. St-Pierre ended his 19-month sabbatical in triumphant fashion to unify the welterweight title last month at UFC 154.

Cruz is expected to miss most of 2013, this after being sidelined all of this year after having his hand and knee surgically repaired. Questions have arose whether the UFC will strip the 27-year-old of his crown in order to keep the division moving.

Cruz would be crushed if his bantamweight champion moniker disappeared due to no fault of his own. However, he understands the UFC has a business to run and he’ll simply roll with the punches – much like he has after receiving the bad news about his bum knee.

“I have given everything I have including my body to have that title, so it means everything to me to have it, to earn it,” Cruz admitted. “But I have to understand that I am here to build the 135-pound weight class, the bantamweight division and as a business I have to look at myself as part of the business.

“That being said, the division has other fighters who are healthy and ready to fight: Renan Barao, Michael McDonald, Mike Easton is on a rampage. There are a lot of guys in the division doing a lot of great things right now. Those are the things I have to think about right now, instead of putting my own selfish thoughts into it. There is nothing I can control. The second I try to control that, I will drive myself crazy. So, I leave it God’s hands and I pray that things happen as they are supposed to.”

Cruz being such a great company guy and the fact Barao is already the interim bantamweight champ bodes well for Cruz to retain his belt while riding the pine.